Authors (including presenting author) :
Candic Tang(1), LAW CB(1) , Ian CHEUNG(2) , KWAN WM(3), Polk WAN(4) , LAI TW(1) , Chan NY (1),Cheung WM(5), Natalie LEUNG(1) , SUEN SM(1) , May CHAN(1) ,WONG SY(2) , Leung YF(3) , Wendy KWOK(1) , Yeung Kit(1), TONG KM(1) , MAN HY(4) , Jenny CHAN(3) , Sandy LEUNG(2) , Maria LOR(2), June LEUNG(1) , Debbie LO(1) , Ray LAU(1) , Niki Lam(2), Iris Lee(3), Fred Wan(4), MAK HY(1) , Emily TSOI(3) , LEUNG LM (4) , Calvin CHEUNG(1), Edward CHAN(1), Henry LIU(5), Liane LI(5).
Affiliation :
(1) Princess Margaret Hospital (2) Yan Chai Hospital (3) Caritas Medical Centre (4) North Lantau Hospital (5) HAHO
Introduction :
Kowloon West Cluster (KWC) faces highest elderly population with increasing service demands, case complexity, high admission loads, and Non-emergency Ambulance Transfer Services (NEATS). To address admission blocks and prolonged discharges, KWC Smart Hospital Management Committee initiated Hospital Command Centre (HCC) in PMH and YCH through HA annual plan while NLTH and CMC were on cluster initiative between March and September 2023. Utilizing real-time data visualization, the team executed sustainable improvement measures to optimize patient flow and enhance operational efficiency.
Objectives :
(1) Reduce A&E access block by revamping admission process, enhancing Emergency Medicine (EM) support, and implementing automatic dispatching system for porter transfer. (2) Enhance patient safety by triggering alerts for ward round prioritization, mitigating clinical risk and patient monitoring via Clinical Command Centre, and decentralizing PMH phlebotomist services. (3) Shorten NEATS discharge process by streamlining medication return, establishing a NEATS holding bay and promoting early patient readiness. (4) Maximize bed capacity by early patient discharges over 28% by 1PM through AI-driven discharge screening, enhanced proactive clinical team communication, and early discharge strategies.
Methodology :
Hospital performance from May 2023 to November 2024 were analyzed using sources from HAHO, Management Information Portal, KWC statistics office, and Supporting Services. Data included EM support indicator, admission block and process time, porter turnaround time, average length of stay (ALOS), discharge medication return time, NEATS discharge process, and convalescent and rehabilitation (CR) bed transfer and inpatient discharge by 1PM. Staff engagement, contingency drill, field visit, webpage migration, HA Chat board and survey evaluations in 2023 and 2024 provided qualitative insights with positive impact on patient journey.
Result & Outcome :
KWC achieved 11% rise in EM support indicator and 30% increase in EM bed turnover. Admission blocks dropped from 4.4% to 0.3%, with 25% faster admission process. Patient experience improved with 37% faster phlebotomist service and 4.69 days at acute bed ALOS (lower than HA averages) resulted. NEATS discharge proceeded 15% faster, with 3% increase in patient readiness by 11AM, and 4% and 10% increases in NEATS departures by 1PM and 5PM respectively. Over 28% discharges by 1PM achieved, with 17% more CR transfers by 1PM. PMH also streamlined porter turnaround and medication return processes by 17 (49% decrease) and 37 minutes (39% decrease), respectively. Total 24 CQI, 197 staff engagements and 133 enhancement feedbacks accomplished. Staff evaluations revealed positive feedback with high satisfaction scoring on HCC’s effectiveness in improving clinical operations. Poster presented in International Forum on Quality & Safety in Healthcare, Hong Kong and lightning Talk invited in 47th World Health Congress, Brazil in 2024. KWC Outstanding team awarded in 2025.
